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HIGH SCHOOL

Maryville linebackers looking to step up

Troy Provost-Heron
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee
First-year Maryville football coach Derek Hunt talks to his team following a spring practice on Wednesday, March 29.

There will be plenty to get used this season when it comes to Maryville football.

Sure, George Quarles will not be pacing the sidelines for the first time in 18 seasons after he returned to his alma mater and became Furman’s associate head coach and tight ends coach in December.

But the constant sound of T.D. Blackmon’s name being announced over the PA system will not be present either.

As the Rebels sift through spring practice, the biggest question mark is how they go about replacing a player who seemingly did everything on the field, especially when it mattered most.

“I’m not sure we can replace T.D. — he’s just a special kid that did all the right things,” first-year coach Derek Hunt said. “He was so natural in everything he did, whether it was playing middle linebacker or basketball, it seemed like whatever he did he was going to be successful.

“He’ll be tough to replace. He led our team in tackles four years in a row — I’m not sure if that has ever happened, but I’m pretty sure it hasn’t and it probably won’t ever happen again. I don’t think one kid can replace him, but I know that our linebackers are excited.”

The linebacker group will likely consist of seniors Riley Gennoe, Tommy Smith, Isaiah Cobb and Jacob Wall along with a few sophomores.

That core will be tasked will filling the void left by Blackmon, who led the Rebels in tackles four consecutive seasons, was a three-time all-state selection, two-time Mr. Football Lineman finalist and one-time Mr. Football winner — as a junior in 2015.

Maryville's T.D. Blackmon (27) reacts to a play during their game against Alcoa Friday, Sept. 9, 2016 at Maryville High School. (WADE PAYNE/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL)

“We have to come together as a unit and find the next guy up,” Gennoe said. “Out here in spring practice every day, that’s who we are looking for — guys who are willing to step up and make a huge impact there.”

The Rebels got a taste of life without Blackmon last season after the United States Air Force Academy signee underwent minor surgery on his knee and missed three games. Over that span, Gennoe and Smith shouldered the brunt of his absence, with Gennoe gaining the top spot in tackles for Maryville until Blackmon returned and regained his throne.

“Both of those guys played a lot all year, but toward the end of the year, those games they played when T.D. was out made them a lot better,” Hunt said. “I really think they will kind of piggyback off that and be ready to go this year.”

Hardin Valley Academy's Thomas Clay is hit by Maryville's Riley Gennoe during their game Friday, Oct. 28, 2016. (WADE PAYNE/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL)

The Rebels will certainly need them to be ready. Blackmon made big play after big play in his time at Maryville, most notably blocking a fourth-quarter field goal to force overtime in the 2014 state championship game, and following that up with a game-sealing interception on a 2-point pass in the extra period.

A single player may not be able to replace all of that, but as a group, the Rebels are confident they can get the job done.

“There is some pressure for sure, but I feel like we are getting better every single day, and that takes away from that as we move on,” Gennoe said. “I’m really excited for what we can do as a group moving forward.”